Last weeks road trip

[LivinLOS]

OK so I have kinda caught up with everything now and figured I should put a few bits of info up..

The basic plan was to explore round the southern side of the Andaman coast.. There was a post in 'favourite part of Thailand' thread about Koh Rok national park and its coral beds and I wanted to get onto Koh Lipe near the Turatao islands after hearing good things.

So first stop Koh Lanta to pick up the tour / speedboats that head out to Koh Rok. We hunted online and found a Mr Vichit who has his number on a few webpages and booked a tour for the next day (more to come). Easy drive but we set off in the afternoon and were told the ferries stop at 9.. As theres 2 ferries and practically nothing in the first island you would hate to get caught between them as they close. It was a nervous bit of driving from Krabi but in fact the ferries were running until 10 'or later' they said.

So arrive on Lanta and try to find out pre booked hotel.. Nice place that we have got a good deal by haggling over the phone but on arriving find out you need a 4x4 to drive to it.. Just as I start to think I could probably get the car over the beach and sand they tell me that once high tide comes in your marooned !! That wasnt gonna work out for us and we didnt want to be stuck to tide times to get in and out so we were looking for a resort after dark.

We went out to score a bit to eat and grab a beer and called Mr Vichit to change our pickup location.. He in turn calls back 10 mins later to tell us theres no tour the next day !! After some cursing and explaining that we have just driven for hours only to visit Koh Rok and he has royally ****ed up, a conversation with his partner explaining Vichit had made no booking, etc etc etc he told spinner he would try to do something and rung off.. I told her to call back and made a bet he had just turned his phone off.. I won !!! Mr Vichit is it seems a complete assh0le.

Even as it was getting to be 11 or 12 we managed to get something sorted with a superb woman called Sao who saved the whole mission and came and picked us up in am and dropped after the tour.. Funny, friendly and great laugh woman.

So finally we get to Koh Rok.. First a snorkel, good coral tho not the best around.. But lots of stingers in the water, more than I have ever had elsewhere and enough to get out of the water for. Too many to be happy to swim around.

Koh Rok is available as a camp site (and it seems you can rent huts that belong to the national park also) and I had thought about this. But being there for the day was enough for me, really nothing much there and as lovely as beach is I think the boredom would set in.

1 On the Speedboat
2 Swim stop
3 & 4 Crystal clear waters
5 & 6 The Tented accomodation
7 The huts (can be booked through the national park)
8 9 and 10.. Making friends with the locals.

To be continued.

EDIT.. Pic 7 over 100KB.. In next post..

[Dodger]

Interesting trip report Lil and one that I think will benefit a lot of epats as well as holidaymakers who want to know where else to go other than Patong and Surin Beach.

[steve w]

i took the trip to ko rok 5 years ago,thought the marine life was really good.always thought of staying there for a night looked idyllic.

[LivinLOS]

1 The Hut accomodation.
2 & 3 Big scary wildlife
4 & 5 Cute non scary wildlife
6 - 10 just beach and water shots.. Koh Rok is pretty photogenic..

[LivinLOS]

So then it was back to the boat.. Another dip on a different side of the island between the two islands that make up Rok.. Here the snorkelling was much better, lots to see, some really good bits where cleaner fish were working on loads of other fish that would come and have themselves spruced up.

I was enjoying this and was aware that everyone else was getting out and had no intention of doing so.. Kept my head down and enjoyed myself and when I finally did look up the whole boat was arm waving and spinner had a face like thunder. They wanted to leave ages before but I didnt she was most embarassed, I couldnt have cared. She said she had offered to throw the pineapple leftovers from lunch at my head while I pootled about !!

After that we headed to a beach shack resturant that serves the greatest food called the armchair bar or armchair resturant.. Seems to have changed hands since last time but it really is special Thai cooking !!! Also chill out tunes and relax on the floor cushions. After a hard day at the beach a fine place to sup some cold ones and watch the sun go down.

1) This is the way to see the place
2) Spinner being spinner
4 and 5.. The armchair bar.

[K2]

Pix in Post#4 look great Seft ... will have to put Koh Rok on the to do list.

[LivinLOS]

So a one day whistlestop tour of Lanta then back on the road down to Turatao / Lipe ferry ports. Nice easy drive and some scenic country south of Trang on the smaller roads south.

When you get to Pak Bara ferry theres options.. ferry, fast ferry or speedboat.. Price (round trip) 1000 1100 or 1300.. We were told the speedboat (1.5 hours highly recommended) was gone but we later discovered that may not have been true.. The 'fast ferry' we were assured was 'maximum 2 hours' and at 2.5 hours was only a small lie !!

It was however AC'ed and had nearly no one on it.. We were able to stretch out on 4 seats each and nap the journey away. When you get to Lipe the shoreline is too shallow so longtails come and meet the boat and you have to chuck the bags across and have an at sea changeover.. These then run you round and dump you at Pattaya beach where eveyone then hut hunts.. I had already done some online checking and had a place in mind.

1 & 2 Pattaya Beach from the rooms door
3 Looking back at the room from the beach (Rt most white hut)
4 Great view
5 also great view

[visa2003]

Great report LIL!!! And quite the photographer you are!!!
This is the way LOS is suposed to be in my dreams!!!
BTW. The big scary widlife is the sort of thing I used to keep as Pets!!!

[IRISH JONNY]

nice report lil....and great pics.some great scenery ...ij

[LivinLOS]

Accommodation on Lipe seemed to range from extreme Shackyness to Shackydelic.. There were a couple of places that had AC rooms but those didnt seem much better either.

We stayed at Pattaya Song in those concrete huts.. Pretty rough (bucket / manual flush, fan only, cold water no electric in daytime) but really it was all we needed at 700 baht.. Roof / bed / fan and place to hang hammock... Beach below and restaurants all along the beach.. As far as laid back went this was horizontal.

As to the vibe of Lipe I absolutely loved it.. Theres lots of little bars down on the beachfront.. Everyone has a wander about.. Tunes playing.. Lots of Cafe Del Mar and Hed Kandi type sounds.. Bits of Reggae and dub.. Strange electro jazz and nu soul.. In fact some really cool music !!! Everyone sat chatting on cushions and hammocks.. Sweet herbal cigarettes seemed to be being passed about a lot !! I really could waste a while hanging out there I would think.

We ended up in the 'peace and love' bar nightly and the whole place decked out under a tree with loads of colored lights in shells, deamcatchers, driftwood, oddball home made stuff.. Was just real nice spot.

1) the steps up to the rooms.. I said extreme Shacky-ness !!!
2) Chillin in evening
3 and 4 Oddball lighting (me trying to artfully catch it on cam.. Failed !!)
5) The essentials.. Gin and Juice.. Extra large.

[visa2003]

That looks soooo much like Kho Samet did about 6 to 8 years ago, it's amazing!!!
Unfortunately when these places are "found" it does not take long for them to look like Patong Beach!!!
Nice "find" LIL. Take advantage while you can!!!

[LivinLOS]

The Island is real small.. You can walk round it and it has only a couple of tiny tracks across the whole place.. I didnt wear even sandals the whole time I was on Lipe.. Barefoot mooching !!!

I had remembered a place called the Karma bar (they have a site of you google it) that was on PhiPhi.. They used to do fireshows and stuff on the beach each night, good spot. Well the owners had some lease problems and relocated the Karma bar to Lipe where they operate on the beach in front of and in partnership with Mountain view resort.

I made it the object of a very laid back, multiple drink stop wander and its one hell of a spot. When we arrived there was a LOAD of people all looking at less than 100%.. Turns out that the owners got married the night before and the beach party was still going strong at 9am.. I of course arrive the day after !!!

Pics 1 -3 general Karma bar views..
Pic 4.. Putting the world to rights and holding forth.. It that rapt fascination or just plotting how to get away ??
Pic 5 and 6 View from the Mountain View resort.

I know these are dull but I thought a pictorial demonstration of the road systems.. 7 is a dual carrigeway.. 8 is a A road and 9 is a B Road.. There really is bugger all and your just wanderine inland in jungle.. Bring a torch !!!

[LivinLOS]

Stupidly I had made a commitment I couldnt weasel out of for the weekend.. I had kinda thought I was getting 3 days on Lipe but the fact is it was more 2 travel days with only one on Lipe due to the effort with boats..

Before I knew it, it was time to start packing up and leave.. Big mistake.. It deserves at least 2 - 3 days not counting your arrival and departure.. Its a gem of a spot and I will be back.

The Karma bar people told us that the whole place literally shuts in anothe month.. I dont know about the much more active Pattaya beach side but it may not be a low season place at all.. I know Lanta feels barren in Low season but I would think the beach bars would probably still have a gin and juice.. May just have another run at it later in the year. I loved the beach bar sandy toes scene !!

1 Dawn on our departure morning
2 and 3 Time to longtail it out of there

In the words of Arnie.. I'll be back !!!

[visa2003]

Thats it!!!!
I am retireing to Lipe!!!
If ever there was a beachcombers paradise, that has to be IT!!!
I could really see myself spending my last days in a herb induced haze in a place like that!!!!

[Nautilus]

Very nice place. Very nice pictures also.

[LivinLOS]

Well as we had to leave early.. No point wasting any time..

We headed up to Krabi where theres some restaurants that Spinner was adamant we had to go back and eat some special Krabi shellfish thing.. The seafood restaurants that at the end of the beach west the next bay round from Ao Nang.. Once again they didnt disappoint and she managed to eat 5 dishes of food single handedly !!!

After eating and feeling a bit drowsy we just kept our slow pace back enjoying Krabis superb scenery (its still my favorite in Thailand.. I could see myself living up there if I want a slower life) and limestone formations.

On the way back theres a junction / town called Ao Luek.. There were some signs showing Nation park this and waterfall that and there was still light left in the day, nothing hurrying us so decided to see what Krabi could throw at us.

I honestly cant remember if this was the national park or what the sign I followed claimed it to be.. We pulled into this gem of a place. The guard person tried to dual price me (200 for me 20 for her.. I thought prices had doubled ??) but waiving my Thai DL and it was smiles and local price no plob-lim we wandered some wooden platforms and trails through the jungle and found these swimming pools and rocks.. There where Thais swimming / splashing in the bigger pools (and I didnt take pics as I felt it was intruding on them) but how they were good knows.. That water was Icey cold !! Must have come from deep underground or something, I couldnt have my feet in it for more than seconds, it even has that glacial blue coloring..

The rivers kind of seperate into multiple streams all having pools and waterfalls merging and breaking apart again.. Must be a feature of the limestone ??

Really nice 'cool' spot.. Will include it in any Ao Nang run from now as there were food stalls and eateries at the car park so its an all round, stop, nibble, wander the woods, cooling water etc..

Pic 1 The beach west of Ao Nang.. Cant remember its name right now..

The rest.. This little waterfall and jungle spot..

[SirDougless]

Thanks very much, it is a place I've never heard of but, after your absolutely fantastic trip report & pics, you have sold me. I'll be there within the next ten months (probably the comming Dec/Jan).

[wakeboycam]

Did you loose some weight LIL ? You look in shape dude